Artistic Talent and Awkward Moments
by Writer Kitsune
Summary: Naruto is an artist. Neji is a model. When they first meet in an art class, the only feeling towards one another is indifference. Fate, however, makes them meet once more, leading them into a string of awkward events. AU, Yaoi, On Hiatus [NejiNaru]
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto

Y'know, I've already got three stories on my plate, and still I continue to write more. Ah well. I enjoyed this one. This fic is gonna be more light than my other stories, which seem to always have depressing plot lines. -Sweatdrop-

* * *

_**  
Chapter 1**_

Naruto sat bored by an easel, tapping his pencil repetitively on the wood. He watched casually as the teacher proceeded to argue with a red haired man. The blond wasn't quite sure what they were talking about, but after listening to them for a while, he got the general gist of the quarrel. Something about what art was. He watched lazily as the blond man finally shooed the other way and tried to get the classes' attention.

"Okay, everyone! We have a new model coming in today. His name is Hyuuga Neji. And no, Sai, he's fully clothed. Un." Naruto peered at said raven, who was currently sporting a disappointed, yet sickly amused expression. The blond displayed his partial disgust openly by grimacing. Sai was so perverted. Every week he would ask whether they were drawing a nude. And thankfully, the answer so far was always no.

Several seconds passed, during which Naruto continued to stare at the blank page in front of him. He had no doubt that the new model would be another haughty bastard. Hell, they always were! He sighed as he remembered the one from last week. Uchiha Sasuke. Geez, of all the people in the world, he was probably the most conceited bastard Naruto could hope to meet.

Or, rather, **not** hope to meet.

The kitsune broke away from his thoughts as the door opened with a creak. A head popped around it tentatively. Naruto stared at him, surprised. It wasn't that the man was handsome that shocked the blond. Oh, no, definitely not. It was to be expected, considering the man was a model. But what was interesting about this person was his eyes. They were the most unusual color, pearly white, and yet, when Naruto looked again, they appeared a pale lilac. The Hyuuga's hair also caught his eye. It was very long, tied in a loose ponytail towards the bottom. Naruto had to hand it to him, as the male seemed to pull of the long hair without looking too feminine.

Neji made his way cautiously to the middle of the room, settling himself into a stiff chair. Naruto watched his expression carefully. He appeared rather guarded, as his eyes darted nervously around the room. Well, it was kinda hard to tell, considering his pupils were almost invisible, but Naruto could sense the suspicious air surrounding the brunette. He would ignore it for now, however, as all he was interested in was drawing the model. The blond was happy with the angle, as he was able to see the Hyuuga's face clearly. The lighting gave his hair a healthy luster, making it shine beautifully. Still, the kitsune felt uncomfortable. It was like Neji's unease was rubbing off on him. Every time he looked up at the raven, Naruto became more and more certain that the man was about to jump off of the chair and out the room. Even so, the Hyuuga remained seated for the rest of the hour, obviously relieved when the teacher called for the end of the session. As hard as the blond man tried to make Neji stay, he refused, apparently impatient to leave the room.

* * *

Naruto packed away his things, hoisting the heavy bag over his shoulder. He was the last one in the room, as usual. The blond shut the door quietly behind him, spotting Kiba standing nearby, whistling. 

"You've been waiting for me, eh Mutt?" Naruto smirked as he used the much hated nickname.

"'Course. Why are you always the last person out?" Kiba ignored the dog remark, falling into step with the kitsune.

"I have a lot of stuff to pack away. Cut me some slack, Mutt!" Naruto said defensively. The brunette snorted in response.

"What do you have in there anyway? It looks pretty heavy to me." The two walked out on to the pavement, the bitter wind whipping at their faces. The blond was about to reply, when the dog boy snatched the bag. He stumbled a little, obviously surprised by the weight.

"Woah! What **do **you have in here? A house?!" Kiba repeated his question, heaving the bag along as it threatened to drag on the floor.

"Oi! Careful with that! It's new, I don't want to get dirt all over it!" The blond laughed, taking it back again. The two increased their pace, staying silent.

It seemed very strange, almost disconcerting, to see both very talkative men in such silence. But it didn't bother either of them. It wasn't awkward by any means, to them, it was comfortable. They reached a cross roads, each waving goodbye to one another. Naruto walked along jovially, a skip in his step as he wandered down the country road. It was quite surprising, how such a busy town could change to the quiet countryside so quickly. The blond continued on his way, admiring the stars twinkling in the clear sky. Since it was such a beautiful night, he had an urge to burst into song, but refrained from doing so when he spotted a figure in the shadows.

"Hello?" The blond called out cautiously.

The person froze, then moved forward into the moonlight at the sound of the voice. Naruto recognized the well-sculpted face straight away.

"Hyuuga?!" He said, shocked to see the handsome male standing there. "What are you doing here?"

"Hmm?" The raven squinted suspiciously at Naruto as he tried to remember him. "Ah, you were at the art class, correct?"

"Uh, yeah." The kitsune smiled sheepishly, "Sorry for not introducing myself. Uzumaki Naruto." He thrust out an arm expectantly. Neji stared at it for a few moments, before realizing what the other wanted. He stretched out a pale hand warily, as though he was ready to snatch it back at any moment.

"So, how are you, Uzumaki-san?" The blond was slightly taken aback by the brunette's respectful tone.

"Uh, I'm good. And just call me Naruto. Do you mind if I call you Neji?" He asked. The Hyuuga shook his head. The two stepped along for a few minutes, before Naruto broke the silence.

"You never answered my question earlier, Neji. What are you doing out here? Especially so late?"

"Oh, nothing. I was just looking around." At that comment, the blond snorted. The brunette gave him an accused look. "What?"

"Are you sure you're not lost, Neji?" Naruto grinned broadly. The Hyuuga did a mock double-take, but didn't deny it. "So, you are lost?" The kitsune concluded. The raven winced slightly at Naruto's bluntness.

"Just a little." The blond stared at him incredulously.

"You really are? I was just kidding earlier! How did you get lost exactly?!" Naruto gaped as Neji frowned at the blond's amazement.

"Hey, it's not like I'm stupid or anything. I don't live around this area. I was just walking along, and got lost! You would too." The Hyuuga resisted the temptation to pout. Hyuuga's did not pout. Far too childish. Still, it didn't seem too childish for a certain blond.

"I wouldn't get lost! I have fantastic instincts!" Naruto winked boldly at Neji.

"Sure." The raven rolled his eyes. At least, Naruto _thought_ he did. Once again, Neji's lack of visible pupils made it difficult to tell. This made another question run through his head.

"Hey, Neji... What's with your eyes? I mean, I would say you were blind, but you seem to be able to see me okay..." It was only after he said it did the blond realize how tactless it sounded. The brunette raised an eyebrow at his question.

"I'm definitely not blind." The raven shrugged as he confirmed Naruto's suspicion. "It's just my eye-color. No big deal. Everyone in the Hyuuga family has eyes like these. Just genetic."

Once again the kitsune began to think.

"Hyuuga? Sounds familiar..." After Naruto said it, Neji grunted off-handedly.

"Probably because it's a shampoo company? I wondered when you would notice." The brunette sighed heavily as Naruto's jaw dropped. "Yeah, my family owns it. Very popular brand." At the comment, Naruto rubbed his chin thoughtfully.

"So **that's **why you're hair is so pretty! Y'know, you should work as the model for them, not that girl in the advert. Hyuuga... Hanabi, is it? You would get loads more customers." Naruto announced. The Hyuuga stopped and stared at the blond.

"You think my hair is pretty?" Neji said in an amused tone. He ignored the rest of the remark about the model, but this didn't seem to bother the other much.

"Of course! Has no one ever told you that before?" Naruto's expression turned to one of disbelief as the raven shook his head. "Well, it** is **pretty." He answered firmly. He fell into thought once more.

"You sounded kinda bitter about your family. What's that about?" The kitsune wondered. Neji opened his mouth in protest, but then closed it. Simply because there was no protest. Neji did hate his family, he wouldn't deny it. The brunette grimaced as he answered the blond.

"True, I'm not a big fan of my family. The Hyuuga's." The raven spat out the name venomously. Naruto decided it was best not to pursue this line of questioning, and instead fell silent. They walked on for a while, before Neji spoke up.

"So, where am I going to stay for tonight?" Naruto gave him another incredulous look, as though the answer was the most obvious thing in the world. "Y'know, if you stopped gawping and told me, I would understand quicker." The brunette stated, giving the other male a withering glare.

"My place of course! Where else are you supposed to go?" The long-haired man shrugged in response. Another question slipped inconspicuously into the kitsune's mind. "Why are you in Konoha anyway? You said you don't live anywhere around here, and considering you're part of the -cough**rich**cough- Hyuuga family, why don't you have an assistant or something?" Naruto asked, peering curiously at the raven, who had stopped. His mood darkened alarmingly quickly, and the blond backed away worriedly.

"I ran away." He muttered, dangerously soft, tone of voice matching his dark expression.

"You WHAT?!" Naruto yelled out, probably giving the few birds that were flying by a heart attack. "Woah, man! I know that you said you didn't like you're family, but still! Don't you think you went too far?!"

"You are not one to judge. I'm old enough anyway! You've never actually met the Hyuugas, have you?! You don't know what they're like. Arrogant, selfish pigs!" Neji shouted back at the blond, the hatred for his family visible in his milky white eyes. "Obsessed with money! Bastards!"

"Okay! Calm down, Neji. Geez, I didn't expect that outburst! You seemed like such a mild person..." Naruto laughed nervously, reaching out to give the raven a pat on the shoulder.

The brunette flinched at the touch, wincing as the tanned hand made contact. When Naruto saw the Hyuuga's reaction, he pulled it away just as quickly, a hurt expression on his face. After what had seemed like an eternity, they arrived at a small cottage.

"Here we are!" The blond said jovially, pushing all bad thoughts to the back of his mind. He ran eagerly towards the door, removing the bag from his shoulder. Neji watched with little interest as Naruto rummaged through it, concentrating hard.

"Aha!" He pulled a key out of the bag, while the raven raised an eyebrow.

"What on earth do you have in there?"

"Trust me, you're not the first to ask." The kitsune muttered truthfully, jamming the key into the lock impatiently. After a few moments, he fell into a deep silence, keeping his back to the Hyuuga.

"Uh, Naruto? Are you okay?" The brunette asked, brow furrowed at the strangely quiet blond. "Can we go in now? It's getting cold out here..." He trailed off as Naruto turned around, holding up a jagged piece of metal. He smiled guiltily as the Hyuuga's eyes widened in realization of what the other had done.

"I broke the key..."

* * *

I've had the idea of Naruto being an artist in my head for a while now. I kept trying to think of an actual context that would work, and I've been wanting to write some NejiNaru. So, this was born! Neji seems kinda OOC to me, but he'll get more into character as the story continues. At least, I hope so. The summary will make sense in the next chapter. The 'cuddling' bit.

Hope you liked it! Oh, and I'll give a cookie to whoever can tell me the identity of the art teacher and who the red-head he was arguing with was It shouldn't be too hard, especially if you've been watching the lastest shippuuden episodes.


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto

Thanks for all your lovely reviews! Oh, and congrats on who got the teacher and the red-head's identity correct. Ah, how much I love Sasori and Deidara.

Anyway, enjoy!

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_**Chapter 2**_

"I broke the key..."

Neji stood there, expression blank and unreadable as he processed the information.

If the key is broken, you can't get into the house. If you can't get into the house, you're stuck outside. Outside, where it is currently a very cold winter.

The Hyuuga ran this through his mind several times to get a hold on the situation.

"Okay..." He finally muttered after about ten minutes of silence. Naruto was still smiling worriedly, brow furrowed as though he was trying very hard to think of some way into the cottage.

"So, there's no way to get into the house?" The raven concluded, still concentrating as he stared at the starry sky.

"Yeah... Unless we break a window. But we're not going to do that. I don't have much money, and it costs a lot to repair a window. It's happened before, so I should know..." The blond answered, rambling due to his nervousness.

Neji stayed like that for about ten more minutes, as did Naruto. The only difference was the blond's smile getting more and more strained and a vein starting to appear ominously on the brunette's head.

"We're stuck outside, on a freezing night, with no source of warmth?!" It started off as a whisper, then grew into an angry shout.

"Don't get so mad! Look, do you have any money?" The kitsune asked, rubbing his own forehead.

"Me?! Why would _I _have any money!?"

"Because, smartass, you're a model! You're meant to have money!!"

"I just ran away from home, you moron! I didn't have any time to leisurely pack my things!!"

"Didn't you get paid for being a model in our art class?" The blond lowered his voice a few decibels, thinking there was an actual way out of the mess they were currently in, thanks to his sudden brainwave.

"I don't get the money till tomorrow!"

Whoops. Goodbye so-called genius idea.

"Alright! Let's just relax for a minute." Naruto closed his eyes slowly, raising his hands to stop the shouting match. "We have to think of some way to keep warm. Agreed?" The Hyuuga nodded, the vein reducing in size gradually.

"So, how are we gonna do that?" At the raven's question, the blond rubbed his scalp thoughtfully, messing up the already scruffy locks.

"Good question..." He slumped on the doorstep. Neji sighed and sat beside him. Note: He _sat, _not slumped. He was far too neat to slump. The Hyuuga was starting to shiver when the blond suddenly stood up, pumping his arm in the air successfully.

"I've got it! We're gonna have to cuddle!" He grinned widely, showing rows of white teeth as though this was the best idea in the world.

"Uh, okay. Wait, hold on a second... Wha-?! Cuddle?!" The brunette gaped at the kitsune.

"Oh, you know what I mean." The blond waved his hands irritably, as thought the answer was easy.

"No, I don't. Please explain, Mr. Genius!" Neji growled, the vein reappearing, like a warning sign.

_Caution: Blood pressure dangerously high and still rising!!_

"We're gonna have to huddle together like penguins!" Naruto rolled his eyes as the raven's eyebrows raised even higher on his head in befuddlement. "We have to share our body warmth, idiot!"

"Y'know, you could've said that in the first place, rather than confuse me with talk of penguins and cuddling..." The brunette took on a sour tone, looking away from the blond pointedly.

"Now, now, Neji! Don't be so harsh! Or I'll have to hug you!" The kitsune threatened, grinning mischievously.

"Don't you dare, Uzumaki. Or else."

"Or else what? Huh, _Hyuuga?_" The blond taunted, putting extra emphasis on his surname. Neji simply glowered hatefully at Naruto. So intensely, in fact, that the kitsune swore he felt his own baby blues burn by the powerful glare. Intent on revenge, he paused, waiting for the right moment. When the brunette looked away once more, he got into position, and launched himself forward.

"Wha-?!"

They both tumbled on to the grass, Neji cursing and Naruto laughing.

"That's some very colorful language, Hyuuga! I didn't know you knew such awful wor-Whoops!" The blond dodged a pale fist, chuckling as the raven showed off more of his knowledge of swears. The long haired man suddenly flipped over, taking Naruto by surprise. The blond was pinned firmly beneath him, and Neji was enjoying his small victory.

"Now, don't do that again! If you do... Well, let's just say I can play dirty too_." _The kitsune's eyes widened at the unintentionally suggestive statement. Neji blushed lightly, not meaning in like that at all. It just... came out wrong. After getting over the initial shock, Naruto returned to his normal self.

"Meanie!" He yelled as the Hyuuga stood up, dusting imaginary dirt off his clothes, trying to hide his embarrassment.

"Real mature, Naruto." The raven sighed, once again sitting down on the doorstep. He was sure the blond was going to try and attack him again, but he was wrong. He watched Naruto out of the corner of his eyes. The Hyuuga sighed again as the kitsune began to shake violently from the cold.

"You really are an idiot. Come over here." Naruto complied reluctantly, shivering as he stumbled towards the brunette.

Neji gasped as he felt how cold the blond was. Feeling guilty, he removed his thin coat, gingerly wrapping it around the two of them. Naruto glanced at the Hyuuga, surprised by his kindness. The raven felt his skin tingle lightly as the other's icy frame was pressed against his own, warmer, figure.

"You're warm, Neji..." The blond muttered tiredly, on the edge of unconsciousness. The brunette groaned as he felt Naruto slump and rest his head on the pale boy's shoulder.

"How am I supposed to sleep if that thing's stealing my body heat? _And_ his hair tickles my neck." He grumbled to the night. "Geez, he was the one who was supposed to be helping me. Now we've swapped roles." He glared angrily up at the sky as the blond nuzzled further into his neck. "Somebody up there must hate me..."

---

Naruto woke up first, eyes adjusting to the morning light. He was quite reluctant to move, as he was very comfortable and warm. A thick layer of snow covered the ground like a pure white blanket. As nice as it was, the blond knew it was a bad idea to lie there, as he might catch a cold. Having a runny nose doesn't do much for your image. After reasoning for a few moments, Naruto tried to get up. Tried and failed. He looked around for what was preventing him from standing. After searching for a while, his eyes fell on to the culprit.

_'Well, what a pleasant surprise!'_

The harsh Hyuuga had his arms wrapped firmly around the kitsune's waist. The blond chuckled softly.

"Wow, Neji. I didn't realize you were so clingy." Naruto muttered to the sleeping raven. Deciding it would be impossible to leave without waking the other, he lowered himself back on to the floor. He had a sneaking suspicion that Neji was a grumpy morning person, and thought it was best to let him be. Anyway, it would be fun to see the Hyuuga's expression when he woke up and realized he was snuggling up to Naruto. At the movement, Neji moaned slightly, shifting in his sleep. The blond froze as he felt the brunette suddenly hug him closer.

"Geez, someone's affectionate in their sleep... Why can't you be just as fond when you're awake?" He complained lightly. It wasn't that he was uncomfortable or anything. It was the total opposite, in fact. But having someone as antisocial as Neji hugging him felt a little strange, even if it was in his sleep.

_'Yeah, just in his sleep. He wouldn't consciously do this.' _He reminded himself. Naruto didn't mind it that much, to tell the truth. He was one to make contact as much as possible. The blond loved to interact physically with his friends whenever he could. Naruto was sure he was about to fall asleep again by the warmth of the sleeping male. Sure enough, he soon found his breathing slow down to match the sleeping raven beside him and his eyelids droop. In less than three minutes, he was unconscious again.

* * *

Chapter 2 finished! I'm really annoyed, as I can't seem to make Neji IC. Stupid Neji... So hard to write about. Anyway, I had fun writing the little NejiNaru scene there. Bwahaha! 

Hoped you liked it!


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto

The third chapter is here! I have some more ideas for NejiNaru scenes in later chapters, so be patient since there isn't much NejiNaru in this one. Oh, and IC means In Character.

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_**Chapter 3**_

Neji blinked slowly, adjusting to the abrupt change from dreamland to the real world. He removed one arm from around Naruto and rubbed his eyes.

And he didn't think anything was weird at all. At least, until he realized what he had just done. He stared down at his other arm, then at who it was wrapped around. And he repeated this for a few seconds. That's when the raven realized what he was actually doing.

He was hugging someone.

And this someone was male.

And he was hugging this male in public.

"Crap.."

Neji imagined waving goodbye to his pride, albeit reluctantly.

He blushed deeply, thankful that the blond wasn't awake. The Hyuuga pulled his arm away gingerly, trying his hardest not to wake the kitsune. The brunette sighed in relief as the blond continued to snore quietly, eyes flickering in a dream-like state.

Neji looked around, noting that it had been snowing last night. He also spotted Naruto's bag, leaning against the wall of the house. Even though Neji was quite a sensible person, he couldn't help but feel curious. He grabbed it and dragged it towards him. After all, it was quite boring while the excitable blond was asleep. Not that the Hyuuga would admit that out loud. He was still trying to prove to himself that the kitsune was too annoying and noisy for his liking.

Shaking his head, attempting rid it of thoughts of Naruto, he reached for the zip situated on the side of the bag. He pulled it across, revealing the many contents held within it. It was quite amazing, to see the bag hold so many objects, and not break by the weight of it all. The majority of the items were art supplies. Various brands of pencils, paints, and several thick art books by famous painters. He rummaged through it nosily, searching for a certain something. After several minutes of looking and somehow getting his hand cut, (_What __**does **__he have in here?!_) he finally found it. Neji flicked through the art pad, some of the pages crinkling due to over-use of paint. It was quite interesting to see what the blond drew. Most of it were sketches of every day life, while some other pictures stood out.

One especially vibrant painting caught the brunette's attention. It was one of a majestic fox, bursting through crimson flames. His fur was also deep red, almost the color of blood, yet there were hints of orange and gold. It was an incredible picture, and the Hyuuga admired the bright colors and realistic style. After staring intently at it for a few moments, Neji finally resumed scanning through the other pages. There was one thing the raven was looking for in particular, and, after thinking about it, thought it would be best to skip to some of the more recent drawings. He found it straight away, right on the last page.

His own face gazed up at him, eyes blank, but it was like there was some deep feeling hidden behind them, even it was only graphite and paper. The raven's respect for Naruto increased as he watched the drawing of himself, captivated by how realistic it looked. So much so, Neji swore that it was going to start moving at any second. The brunette was surprised by his own expression in the sketch. He looked... scared.

The Hyuuga thought he looked scared due to lack of a better word to describe his own emotions. It confused him slightly. Of course, Neji was, and always had been, a rather guarded person. After growing up in the Hyuuga household, it was impossible not to be. The raven never had much contact with anyone outside the Hyuuga family. Hell, he was going to be forced into a marriage with a woman he didn't even know! He remembered his relatives saying something about it being another rich family. The brunette's hatred for his own kin returned. How dare they make him marry a complete stranger, just for more money! Neji stopped himself before he got too mad, trying to calm down. That was the only thing that really riled him up, and it was best to stay off that topic, considering it made him so angry. He ran a hand through his hair, trying to smooth it down like it would relax his mind. This was rather pointless, considering the raven's hair was already immaculate, and his brain was more or less buzzing too fast to relax.

Returning to the present, and mainly the picture in front of him, he pushed all bad thoughts away. The raven proceeded to focus on the drawing, picking out his favourite details, such as the shading, or the way Naruto had drawn his hair. Neji was starting feeling better as he studied the portrait, when a weak whimper made him stop. He searched for the thing -an animal, Neji suspected- that had made the noise. He heard it again, finally realizing what, or more accurately, **who**, it was.

"Why are you whimpering?" The raven asked the sleeping blond. Naruto didn't answer, obviously, considering he was out-cold. It didn't take long anyway for the Hyuuga to figure out what the kitsune wanted. He did, after all, have quite a number of brain cells in that skull of his, which helped a lot. Naruto only whined some more as the brunette reached his answer. After staring, stunned, at the other, started to shake his head violently.

"Uh-uh! There's no way I'm even touching you. In any way! At all! God knows how long I've already been hugging you. I don't want to have to again!" He started a one-sided, almost frantic argument with the snoozing blond. The only reply he got was more whimpers. He folded his arms in a slightly haughty fashion, wishing that Naruto wouldn't make that abused puppy-dog face, especially in his sleep. Sighing irately, Neji finally gave in.

"You're very annoying, even when you're comatose." He wrapped his arms around he blond, whom immediately stopped sleep-wailing now that he could feel the other's body-heat. "God, somebody shoot me. At least nobody's watching."

He half expected someone to appear from behind the bushes when he said that, like a cartoon. Luckily for Neji, it wasn't a cartoon, therefore, no one came along to laugh at him. However, this wasn't a very consoling thought for the Hyuuga either, as, in fact, it reassured him that this was real life, and he was purposefully hugging a blond idiot.

Because said blond idiot had made a damnable cute face and pathetic whiny noises.

"Y'know, I really hate you." The raven grunted, "You're lucky I'm such a push-over." After thinking about his previous statement, Neji decided he'd have to work on that. On being such a push-over, that is. That was not a good attribute for anyone to have. Still, the raven decided to worry about that later, fixing his thoughts on the problem at hand. He just had to hope that Naruto wouldn't wake up any time soon. That would be way too awkward.

Way, way too awkward.

* * *

Bleurgh. I hated that chapter. I can't wait to write the others though. Oho. I'm so cruel. Thanks for reviewing! 


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